Legislature(2025 - 2026)BARNES 124
04/22/2025 01:00 PM House TRANSPORTATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HJR14 | |
| SJR12 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HJR 14 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SJR 12 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
SJR 12-NOAA BUOY OUTAGES
1:15:19 PM
CO-CHAIR CARRICK announced that the final order of business
would be CS FOR SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 12(TRA), Urging the
United States Congress and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration to address outages of National Data Buoy Center
stations.
1:15:31 PM
SENATOR FORREST DUNBAR, Alaska State Legislature, as prime
sponsor, presented the committee substitute (CS) for SJR
12(TRA). He paraphrased from the sponsor statement [copy
included in the committee packet], which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
SJR 12 calls attention to a small but important piece
of federal infrastructure: National Data Buoy Center
meteorological stations. Weather buoys provide
important data points for forecasting models and real
time observations that are critical to safe fishing
and navigation in coastal Alaska. They inform mariners
decisions on when to leave harbor and when to return.
Of particular concern is the Seal Rocks Buoy in Prince
William Sound. The Coast Guard relies on this station
to determine if conditions in Hinchinbrook Entrance
are safe for the transit of laden oil tankers
departing the Alyeska Terminal in Valdez. Like many
other NDBC meteorological stations in Alaska, the Seal
Rocks Buoy has experienced lengthy service outages in
the last few years, including the entirety of last
winter. Currently, it has been nonfunctional since
October 2024. Without this station, the Coast Guard
must rely on spot reports from passing ships and data
from more distant stations to estimate conditions in
Hinchinbrook Entrance.
This situation is dangerous. Hinchinbrook Entrance is
narrow; if a tanker were to lose control there would
be very little time to prevent it from grounding.
Attaching a tow line or performing any other rescue
operations is very difficult in high winds and waves.
If a tanker did ground in bad weather, Prince William
Sound would experience a repeat of the Exxon Valdez
disaster. This would be devastating for the local
environment, fisheries, and tourism. It would cost the
state and federal government tens of billions of
dollars to clean up. When the stakes are this high, it
is essential that safety equipment like the Seal Rocks
Buoy kept in service.
SJR 12 will convey this information to Alaska's
Congressional delegation and the National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the
parent agency of NDBC. It will ask NOAA to restore
reliability to NDBC and Seal Rocks Buoy service and
ask Congress to ensure NOAA has the resources to do
so. At a time when federal agencies and services are
under threat, it is important to remind decision-
makers that these functions are critical to Alaska.
1:18:40 PM
JOHN GUTHRIE, Project Manager, Maritime Operations, Prince
William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council, gave invited
testimony on CSSJR 12(TRA). He stated that the council is a
federally mandated, nonprofit organization with the mission of
promoting environmentally safe operations of the Alyeska
pipeline, the Valdez Marine Terminal, and the associated oil
tankers. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and its contract with
the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company guide this work. He stated
that the council represents the communities affected by the
[1989] Exxon Valdez oil spill, as well as other groups.
MR. GUTHRIE stated that the oil from the spill is still found on
the beaches throughout the region. He acknowledged that certain
species may never recover, and there is lingering trauma in
people from the affected communities. He stated that the oil-
spill prevention system in Prince William Sound is one of the
most comprehensive in the country, as tugboats escort every
outbound tanker from Valdez to the Gulf of Alaska.
MR. GUTHRIE, on behalf of the council, expressed support for the
proposed resolution, which would request that the U.S. Congress
and the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), under the National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), address the
outages of these national data buoys and weather stations in the
state. He argued that this is critical for the safe
transportation of oil in the region. He added that the
information from the stations has benefited subsistence
gathering, commercial fishing, charter boats, tour boats,
recreational boats, freight shippers, and other users.
MR. GUTHRIE stated that the main concern is Hinchinbrook
Entrance, which connects the sound with the gulf. Over the last
year and a half, he said that the buoy has been functional for
only 35 days. Before tankers can leave the sound, he indicated
that there is a requirement on wind speed and wave height, and
the U.S. Coast Guard makes these decisions using buoy data. He
maintained that if the buoys were not functioning, the
information would not be exact, causing concern for accompanying
tugboats in bad weather. He continued that the council would
like the assurance that tankers would not depart in conditions
when a tugboat could not operate. He emphasized that the
operation of the Seal Rocks Buoy is imperative to oil spill
prevention.
1:21:46 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE questioned who has the responsibility for
the maintenance of buoys.
MR. GUTHRIE responded that NDBC and NOAA are responsible for the
maintenance. He stated that logistical support from the U.S.
Coast Guard can be requested, but this is not its primary job.
He stated that NDBC is contracting a vessel in June to repair
the buoy. He acknowledged that the Coast Guard cannot always
offer support.
1:23:03 PM
ROBERT ARCHIBALD, President, Prince William Sound Regional
Citizens' Advisory Council, gave invited testimony on CSSJR
12(TRA). He shared that he has been on the board for 10 years.
He expressed support for the proposed legislation. He pointed
out that this would address buoys in the Gulf of Alaska and
Prince William Sound. He explained that the Trans-Alaska
Pipeline System (TAPS) does not stop in Valdez; rather, it
continues out on tankers to the West Coast or Asia.
MR. ARCHIBALD shared that he has worked onboard escort tugboats
out of Valdez for 15 years and onboard various vessels in Valdez
for 22 years. From this experience, he said that he has
firsthand knowledge of being on the ocean without reliable
weather-observation information. He stressed that this puts
tugboat crews in harm's way. He pointed out that buoy data is
more reliable than the human eye and a wind forecast from
vessels.
1:25:22 PM
CO-CHAIR EISCHEID, per the proposed resolution, questioned the
meaning of the phrase "take actions necessary" to restore the
buoy station. He further questioned what is not happening that
the proposed resolution is requesting.
ARIELLE WIGGEN, Staff, Senator Forrest Dunbar, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Senator Dunbar, answered questions on
CSSJR 12(TRA). She deferred the question to Mr. Guthrie.
MR. GUTHRIE explained that the current funding for buoy
maintenance is insufficient.
1:26:39 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE commented that the proposed resolution
could be strengthened by having the requirement that the U.S.
Coast Guard maintain the buoy, as it has a cutter ship in
Cordova. He suggested that this could be the U.S. Coast Guard's
job, noting that a buoy tender is already set up for this work.
He opined that this would not require a contract, and it could
pertain only to this area, as another oil spill should be
prevented.
1:27:52 PM
CO-CHAIR CARRICK questioned whether the idea was posed that the
U.S. Coast Guard could take over the management of the Seal
Rocks Buoy.
1:28:08 PM
ARIELLE WIGGEN responded that this question has not been asked.
She stated that this change could be entertained. In response
to a follow-up question concerning the number of buoys in the
state that are not functioning, she stated that she would follow
up to the committee with this answer.
CO-CHAIR CARRICK, in follow up, also requested information
concerning the number of buoys that NOAA manages in the state
and the number of these with outages.
1:29:12 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 1:29 p.m.
1:29:43 PM
CO-CHAIR CARRICK announced that CSSJR 12(TRA) was held over.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HJR 14 Fiscal Note HTRA.4.9.25.pdf |
HTRA 4/22/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HJR 14 |